Marion Elizabeth Rodgers
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195072389
- eISBN:
- 9780199787982
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195072389.003.0025
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
This chapter chronicles the rise and fall of the famous Mencken/Nathan partnership, their departure from The Smart Set, and the inauguration of The American Mercury, a magazine credited for ...
More
This chapter chronicles the rise and fall of the famous Mencken/Nathan partnership, their departure from The Smart Set, and the inauguration of The American Mercury, a magazine credited for influencing widespread changes in the magazine industry. It also introduces a new character in the story: the notorious Charles Angoff, who will, in the future, do his best to damage Mencken's reputation.Less
This chapter chronicles the rise and fall of the famous Mencken/Nathan partnership, their departure from The Smart Set, and the inauguration of The American Mercury, a magazine credited for influencing widespread changes in the magazine industry. It also introduces a new character in the story: the notorious Charles Angoff, who will, in the future, do his best to damage Mencken's reputation.
Marion Elizabeth Rodgers
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195072389
- eISBN:
- 9780199787982
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195072389.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
Mencken believed that the Constitution and Bill of Rights were sacred documents that set clear lines of demarcation that no government should trespass. “The two main ideas that run through all of my ...
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Mencken believed that the Constitution and Bill of Rights were sacred documents that set clear lines of demarcation that no government should trespass. “The two main ideas that run through all of my writing”, he said, “whether it be literary criticism or political polemic, are these: I am strongly in favor of liberty and I hate fraud”. Freedom had always been an issue with Mencken: first, freedom from his father's choice of a career; later, as he developed as a critic, from the Victorian Puritanism that stifled American life; then, from governmental laws that violated civil liberties for whites and blacks; and finally, during the two world wars, freedom from censorship of the press.Less
Mencken believed that the Constitution and Bill of Rights were sacred documents that set clear lines of demarcation that no government should trespass. “The two main ideas that run through all of my writing”, he said, “whether it be literary criticism or political polemic, are these: I am strongly in favor of liberty and I hate fraud”. Freedom had always been an issue with Mencken: first, freedom from his father's choice of a career; later, as he developed as a critic, from the Victorian Puritanism that stifled American life; then, from governmental laws that violated civil liberties for whites and blacks; and finally, during the two world wars, freedom from censorship of the press.
Marion Elizabeth Rodgers
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195072389
- eISBN:
- 9780199787982
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195072389.003.0039
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
The lessening of Mencken's influence was accompanied by the further decline of The American Mercury. Against slumping financial returns, Mencken decided to resign from the magazine. For various ...
More
The lessening of Mencken's influence was accompanied by the further decline of The American Mercury. Against slumping financial returns, Mencken decided to resign from the magazine. For various reasons, resentment against Mencken began to fester in his assistant, Charles Angoff; this nearly exploded when Mencken and Knopf appointed Henry Hazlitt, instead of Angoff, to replace Mencken.Less
The lessening of Mencken's influence was accompanied by the further decline of The American Mercury. Against slumping financial returns, Mencken decided to resign from the magazine. For various reasons, resentment against Mencken began to fester in his assistant, Charles Angoff; this nearly exploded when Mencken and Knopf appointed Henry Hazlitt, instead of Angoff, to replace Mencken.
Marion Elizabeth Rodgers
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195072389
- eISBN:
- 9780199787982
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195072389.003.0035
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
The situation of The American Mercury did not improve during the Depression, and brought Alfred Knopf; his father, Samuel; and Mencken at a crossroads. Samuel Knopf wanted Mencken to expand the ...
More
The situation of The American Mercury did not improve during the Depression, and brought Alfred Knopf; his father, Samuel; and Mencken at a crossroads. Samuel Knopf wanted Mencken to expand the magazine along his own editorial lines; Mencken balked. A new generation of college students derided him; critics said that Mencken's columns aroused as much controversy as the weatherman. At this juncture, George Jean Nathan wrote his memoirs, Friends of Mine, and his disloyalty put an end to their troubled friendship.Less
The situation of The American Mercury did not improve during the Depression, and brought Alfred Knopf; his father, Samuel; and Mencken at a crossroads. Samuel Knopf wanted Mencken to expand the magazine along his own editorial lines; Mencken balked. A new generation of college students derided him; critics said that Mencken's columns aroused as much controversy as the weatherman. At this juncture, George Jean Nathan wrote his memoirs, Friends of Mine, and his disloyalty put an end to their troubled friendship.
Marion Elizabeth Rodgers
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195072389
- eISBN:
- 9780199787982
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195072389.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
This Prologue sets the theme for the entire book: the issue of freedom. It presents a scene, captured during a pivotal moment in Mencken's career when, at the height of his popularity, he was ...
More
This Prologue sets the theme for the entire book: the issue of freedom. It presents a scene, captured during a pivotal moment in Mencken's career when, at the height of his popularity, he was arrested in Boston in 1926 or selling a copy of his censored magazine, The American Mercury.Less
This Prologue sets the theme for the entire book: the issue of freedom. It presents a scene, captured during a pivotal moment in Mencken's career when, at the height of his popularity, he was arrested in Boston in 1926 or selling a copy of his censored magazine, The American Mercury.
Marion Elizabeth Rodgers
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195072389
- eISBN:
- 9780199787982
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195072389.003.0028
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
This chapter picks up from the opening scene described in the Prologue of this book, when the April 1926 issue of The American Mercury was banned in Boston and Mencken was arrested. Mencken became ...
More
This chapter picks up from the opening scene described in the Prologue of this book, when the April 1926 issue of The American Mercury was banned in Boston and Mencken was arrested. Mencken became disillusioned when his fight against censorship was criticized by fellow journalists as being a mere publicity stunt, even though his efforts cleared the way for journalists and publishers to publish whatever they want. Worldwide, Mencken's name became forever identified with freedom of speech.Less
This chapter picks up from the opening scene described in the Prologue of this book, when the April 1926 issue of The American Mercury was banned in Boston and Mencken was arrested. Mencken became disillusioned when his fight against censorship was criticized by fellow journalists as being a mere publicity stunt, even though his efforts cleared the way for journalists and publishers to publish whatever they want. Worldwide, Mencken's name became forever identified with freedom of speech.
